Hitting the Headlines Training Day
Held on 5 November 2003 at the University of York’s Centre for Reviews and Dissemination
Newspaper articles can help and harm
Everyday, newspapers carry reports about health care, including articles on the effectiveness of new treatments or diagnostic tests. These articles have the potential to raise expectations and create demand for inappropriate therapies and procedures, and can lead to harm, increased dissatisfaction, and unnecessary costs. On the other hand, accurate health reporting has the capability to enhance the quality and appropriateness of patient health care.
In collaboration with the National electronic Library for Health (NeLH), the University of York’s Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) held a free training day for health librarians detailing how the “Hitting the Headlines” summaries published on the NeLH website are produced. The day looked at how to assess the reliability of newspaper stories, how to locate the research behind the headlines, and how to find critical appraisal tools to assess the quality of the research.
As a health librarian for a service that provides customised, tailored, evidence-based information to users of the NHS Direct Online website, I was particularly interested in what to look for behind the headlines and how to assess the evidence behind a news story. Oh, how often do we get enquiries from the general public wanting information on a particular treatment, therapy or procedure that they had “seen” in a newspaper?! Of course, we have a duty to supply information about a article of which the user has requested, but I wanted to know more about how newspapers succeed in grabbing the attention of readers, and the principles and practice that are applied to health reporting in general. I was very keen to learn the ‘CRD way’ of finding the research behind a news story.
Which headlines to ‘hit’?
The day began with a background to ‘Hitting the Headlines’. An overview of the production process was provided, including the principles, priorities and rigor applied to locating and assessing the research behind the headlines. In selecting a headline to hit, priority is given to the stories which are likely to have the biggest impact, and those which may make the reader go to his or her GP. It was interesting to note that selection of news stories was not just based on how many papers reported on a particular story, but that the wider implications of readership were considered. A news story on ‘Aspirin linked to pancreatic cancer,’ that was solely reported by the Sun, was still summarised due the number of readers reached by the paper.
Reading a newspaper
The highlight of the day was the session outlining what makes a good news story, what to look for behind the headlines and key questions to consider. It was useful to hear about journalistic constraints and how newspaper editorial policies impact on health reporting. The external influences on newspaper reporting were also noted, with particular reference to researchers, funders, and academic publishers. I learnt not to be distracted by the headline of a story and to read to the end of an article. Sometimes the results of a study reported on by a newspaper have yet to be published in a major medical journal.
You have the newspaper article – but where do you go from there?
An illustrated guide to finding research evidence was provided, along with details about the types of problems that can be encountered. We were systematically taken through the steps that the CRD uses – from locating the research through organisations, conference papers, charitable trusts and by searching journal websites such as http://www.ingenta.com and http://www.medwebplus.com . Valuable tips on what to do if you are unable to find the research were also given.
Introduction to critical appraisal
This session taught us not to accept research findings at face value. A guide to key resources for critical appraisal was also provided. A selection of appraisal checklists were supplied, but we were reminded that none were definitive and that we should choose the one that best fits our purpose.
Practical exercises
The day concluded with a trip to the Maths Department computer room where, using stories selected from the newspapers, we had the opportunity to put the tips and techniques we had learnt into practice.
The training day was certainly thought-provoking and very interesting. I am now better informed about the accuracy of reporting of research into the effectiveness of new treatments and other interventions in the press. The organisers asked if anyone was providing this kind of service themselves in their own organisations, but it seemed that none were. I originally wanted to attend the day just to get an insight on how the summaries are produced, but I am now thinking about setting up a similar project for my own users. It will be a challenge, but it’s one I am willing to attempt!
Interested readers can get more of an idea about the Hitting the Headlines project by going to: http://www.nelh.nhs.uk/hth/help.asp
Thank you to the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination for providing such an interesting day.
A report by Jo Boon, Librarian, NHS Direct Online Enquiry Service
Updated: 07 June 2005